If you read my dress post, you know that I found my “perfect dress” rather quickly. In fact, I donned the winner at the first salon I visited, within the first hour of being there.
I also mentioned in that post that I was accompanied by my 15-year-old future stepdaughter and maid of honor, who was also shopping for a dress. What I didn’t mention (until now) was that finding HER dress was not nearly so easy!
I suppose it didn’t occur to me that agreeing on her dress would be such a big deal. I’ve always known her to be a people-pleaser (overly so), and I knew she was excited about a wedding on the beach, and happy that she would get to wear a “fun” orange dress. Plus, she had told me two days earlier, “It’s your wedding – I’ll wear whatever you want me to wear!” Yeah, right.
So, while I tried on wedding gowns, she tried on bridesmaid dresses. And I very quickly realized I had a challenge on my hands — a challenge rooted in several facts:
1) Her definition of “fun” was not exactly my definition of “beach-appropriate.” She tended toward the sassy, satin party dresses with bubble skirts and pick-ups. I wanted something soft and flowy, preferably in chiffon.
2) I’m very sensitive to quality in fabric and fabrication. Honestly, it kills me that so many bridesmaid dresses priced at $200+ are made of cheap-looking polyester, with bunched seams and sloppy finishing. I ruled out entire lines for that.
3) Orange is not an easy color to find. I wanted a true, bright, tropical orange – not creamy tangerine, or coral or pumpkin or tomato. Not so easy to come by, apparently.
4) She’s 15 going on 35. Every dress she picked out was slim and slinky, whereas I preferred a more demure A-line or full skirt. She “hated” those.
5) She’s the only one wearing a bridesmaid dress. (The rest of my bridal party consists of young girls, who will wear print sundresses.) So she didn’t have to consider the feelings of any other bridesmaids — giving her (almost) total power!
Needless to say, she must have tried on at least 20 dresses at three different stores over a five-day period while visiting from another state. We visited one last store just hours before she was flying home, and struck out again.
That’s when I said, oh-so-sweetly, ”There was one dress you tried on at Alfred Angelo’s that was my absolute favorite, and I would really, really appreciate it if you would wear that dress.” Well, she had tried on so many dresses, she didn’t even remember it. And by now, she was tired of looking, too. Plus, I’m not certain, but her dad may have had a “gentle” conversation with her about being more agreeable. So she agreed to go back and try it on again.
Only this time, when she tried it on, I pointed out one small detail. And suddenly, she said, “Oh, pockets! That makes it HIP!” She proceeded to prance around the store, hands in pockets, looking at herself in the mirror. Whew!!
I’m thrilled that it worked out for both of us, as this was the one and only dress that I absolutely LOVED. It’s the perfect orange, and it’s silk dupioni, which matches the fabric of my dress, too. And here it is, from the “Purely Alfred Angelo” line… isn’t it adorable?
.jpg "Wed Recap: Let them wear what they want!")
.jpg "Wed Recap: Let them wear what they want!")
.jpg "Wedding Recap: The little ones")
.JPG "Wedding Recap: The little ones")
